


A Soon to be Royal Scandal

by HPSherlockFanFic03



Category: Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (TV Russia), Sherlock (TV), Sherlock (TV) RPF, Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-13 06:18:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5698135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HPSherlockFanFic03/pseuds/HPSherlockFanFic03
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A modern take on the short story A Scandal in Bohemia by Arthur Conan Doyle. Catherine Middleton asks Sherlock for help to locate a certain video of her and a laman she once had a brief affair with. Dr John Watson and Mr. Sherlock Holmes start to investigate the mystery and soon find themselves intrigued by the mysterious Irene Adler.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Soon to be Royal Scandal

A Soon to be Royal Scandal

 

 

Sherlock always talked about her as _the_ _woman_ , which sometimes made me wonder if he is actually capable of falling in love with someone despite his weird and often cold personality that not many people can, or even want to, make sense of. Not even I who had known him for years seemed to understand everything that went on in his head. However, one thing about Sherlock that I had learned to notice was when he found something or someone interesting. I could see it in his eyes and hear it in the tone of his voice that she, at least in some way, was a very fascinating and special woman to Sherlock, even though he would never admit it himself.   

Unfortunately, I hadn't seen Sherlock for a long time. Since I got married I had been too occupied with being “the perfect husband” who goes to work every day, makes good money and spends time with his wife. Don't misunderstand me, I liked that life. I lived a good, stress-free life and without any pressure to advance at work. But sometimes the daily routines could become quite boring and I felt that I really missed the time when Sherlock and I ran into mysteries and little adventures together that made my life exciting. Another thing that had kept us away from each other was that Sherlock... well, he was just being Sherlock. Sometimes he was busy with solving a crime that the police had given up on long ago and sometimes he just stayed at home, locked out of society with nothing but his violin, old books, thoughts, and quite possibly snorting cocaine. Despite this, he had a surprisingly balanced mind.

One night when I was on my way home from work, I decided to take a different route than usual so that I could pass by the place where Sherlock and I used to live. When I stood outside of 221B Baker Street and looked through the windows, I could see Sherlock walking around in the apartment with his hands behind his back, absorbed with his own thoughts. I, who knew Sherlock and his habits, understood that this behavior of his meant that he was at work and occupied with a new mystery that needed to be solved by none other than Sherlock himself. Suddenly, I got a strong urge to meet Sherlock again and to see what he was up to this time, so I decided to ring the bell.

When I stepped into the room I saw Sherlock sitting down on the sofa with his head to the chest. He looked up at me and seemed relieved to see me though he did not say much. He waved me to the sofa, threw a pack of cigarettes at me and then stood by the window and just looked out.

“Marriage suits you.” Sherlock finally said as he turned around to observe me.

“Let me guess, John, you have gained seven and a half pounds since I last saw you, haven't you?”

“You would have been mistaken for a wizard if you had lived a few centuries ago.” I answered and looked at him with amazement.

“You see, I don't just  look, I observe.” Sherlock answered. “I bet you, John, that you don't even know how many steps there are in the stairs that lead up to the apartment, even though you have climbed them a hundred times.”.

“How many steps there are? How am I supposed to know that?” I answered.

Sherlock gave me a self-contented smile before he said;

“I know that there are seventeen steps, because I have observed and not only seen.” You could clearly see that he knew he was clever, and rightly so, I would say. Suddenly, Sherlock left the room and came back with his phone.

“Here.” He said as he handed me the phone.

There was a message that said:

_“A client will visit you tonight at seven o'clock to discuss a very serious matter. She has seen some of your previous works and is confident that you will be able to help with this crisis_.”

No name, only two sentences.

“Do you know who this is or what this “crisis” could be?” I asked.

“No idea, but we will soon find out everything.” He said and pointed at his watch. “In the meantime, I thought we could have a beer and catch up.”

An hour and a couple of beers later, we heard a car pulling up outside the building. Sherlock sat with his elbows on the table and with his fingertips together, thinking. I could tell that our casual drinking conversation about old times was over and Sherlock's mind was now all in the work. I didn't know if he really wanted me there, or if he and his client would think that I was in their way and that I would disrupt the working process.

“I think I should go home now, Sherlock. My wife is probably worried. I haven't even told her that I....”

“No way, stay here!” Sherlock interrupted me.

“Who knows, maybe I will need your help. And I could use some company anyway.”

I sat down in a chair beside him by the round wooden table and couldn't help but smile. I had longed for another mystery just like this for a very long time, and the excitement of the unknown made my heart raise. I felt just like a little child waiting for his presents on Christmas day. We had no idea who this client was or why she wanted Sherlock's help, but here we were once again, trying to solve another mystery. We could hear the footsteps outside of the apartment until they came to an abrupt stop right at the door. There were four quiet knockings as if the client didn't want anyone to know she was there.

“Come on in, stranger!” Sherlock called out as he stared at the door, leaning back in his chair.

A tall woman entered the room. Even though she was wearing a veil that covered most of her face, it was very clear who the young woman was. Her clothes were rich with style which would in England be looked upon as akin to good taste. Her dress was blue and had two rows of buttons forming a complete ‘V’. The dress was sharp-looking, and well fitted, just the sort of clothing that a woman would pick out to look elegant.

“Have you received my note?” she asked, with a flat, low voice and a heavy British accent.

“I told you that I would pay you a visit Mr. Holmes.” She looked from one to the other of us, uncertain of who to address.

“Please, have a seat,” Sherlock said “can we bring you anything?”

“No, Thank you, Mr Holmes.”

“Very well, then let us get down to business. This is my close friend and companion, Dr John Watson, who has helped me in a few of my previous cases.”

I bowed gently whilst being introduced to the well-known Ms. Catherine Middleton engaged to HRH Prince William Duke of Cambridge.

“I assume that this man, your friend, is a man of honor and discretion, who I may trust with a matter of importance. If not, I would very much prefer to talk with you alone.” Her tone of speech was sharp and determined.

I rose to go, but Sherlock caught me by the wrist and pulled me back into my chair.

“It is either I and Dr Watson, or none of us.” He said, “Watson is a man of discretion, you can say anything to this gentleman, which you would say to me.”

Ms Middleton twitched her shoulders.

“Then I shall begin,” she said, “by binding you both to this contract of absolute secrecy. At present it would not be an exaggeration to say that this matter may influence all of Europe.”

“Of course.”  Holmes agreed and signed the contract

“Sure.” I said and signed the contract as well.

“I hope you’re not offended by the disguise,” continued Ms Middleton, “I have come here today all alone because the circumstances are of great delicacy, and every precaution must be taken to prevent that which may grow to be an immense scandal and seriously compromise the Royal Family. To speak plainly, the matter involves me and my future legacy.”

“I was aware of that,” Sherlock said, settling himself down in his chair. Catherine Middleton took the veil off and held it in her hand.

“You can understand that I am not accustomed to doing such business on my own. Yet the matter was so delicate that I could not confide it to an agent without putting myself in his power. I have come disguised for the purpose of consulting you.”

“Then go ahead, consult.” Sherlock said, leaning back in his chair.

“The facts are these. Some years ago, during one of my trips abroad, I made the acquaintance of the well-known jet setter Irene Adler. Do you recognize the name, Mr. Holmes?’

“I believe the name sounds familiar…” He murmured. “Please look the name up, John”

I reached for the laptop and did as I was told. I found her biography and handed the device to Holmes.

“Let me see.” He said.

“Born in Long Branch, New Jersey in 1985. She’s an opera singer – hum! Teatro alla Scala in Milano, hum! Prima donna Imperial Opera of Warsaw – Yes! Retired from the opera stage – ha! Currently living in London – quite so!” Sherlock shut the laptop, handed it to me and turned his face to Ms. Middleton.

“Your majesty, as I understand, you became entangled with this woman.” He said.

“True.”

“But I fail to comprehend what your problem might be with her.”

I was instantly aroused to discover what had brought these young women together. It was not difficult to tell that a great discomfort had come across Ms. Middleton’s face.

“Of course, the calculation is not a simple one.” She said.

“Indeed not.” Sherlock answered.

“Well, I met Irene Adler during a trip abroad as I mentioned earlier, I did not wish to miss an opportunity to get acquainted with such an interesting woman. I introduced myself and we became instant friends. She was staying at the same hotel as me and my fiancé, who was there on official business, however, I was not allowed to attend the events with him. This led to me spending a lot of time with Ms. Adler… One thing led to another, and we ended up having a brief affair. She was very upset when I told her that we could no longer continue seeing each other. As soon as my engagement to William became official, the blackmailing begun. She claims to have a very private video of the two of us.”

“I see.” Sherlock answered.

“If Irene Adler were too sell the video to the press it would be a terrible scandal.”

“That is very bad indeed!”  

“I don’t know what I was thinking at the time.”

“You have compromised yourself seriously and it must be recovered.”

“We have tried and failed several times.”

“I assume you have tried to pay her?”

“She will not sell.”

“Steal it then?”

“Several attempts have been made in form of burglary and pickpocketing. All in vain.”

“No sign of it?”

“Absolutely none.”

“It is quite a problem.” Said Sherlock and chuckled.

“But a very serious one to me.” She stated.

“Of course. What is she threatening to do with the video?”

“Ruin me! She threatened to publish the video. And she will do it. I know that she will do it, you do not know her, but she has a heart of steel.”

“And you are sure that she will leak the video?”

“Yes.”

“How so?”

“She said that she would publish it and send it to my husband on the night before our wedding!”

“Oh, then, we have a few more days yet,” said Holmes.

Ms. Middleton left the apartment a little while later and Sherlock and I agreed to meet the next day at the apartment at three o’clock.

 

I was at Baker Street exactly three o’clock, but Sherlock was not back yet. I was informed that had he left the apartment around eight o’clock in the morning. I walked up to the apartment and sat down by the fireplace to wait for him no matter how long it might take. I was already very interested in this case, because even if it didn’t include any brutal or gruesome details that most of the previous cases had, it still had a sense of excitement and mystery. Just like the several other cases he had investigated, and I had written about, he did it with a certain masterly grasp of the situation and with his keen, incisive reasoning. To follow the quintessential methods to which he detangled the most complicated of mysteries was a true pleasure. So, used as I was to his never failing success it never once entered my mind that he might fail in his work. It was almost 4 o’clock when the door opened and a drunk looking man with strange clothing walked in. It took me a few minutes to realize that it was actually Sherlock who walked in. He was as always the master of disguise; he would have made a great actor if he had chosen to walk that path in life.  He took a quick look at me and then vanished into his bedroom only to come back out five minutes later in a suit, looking very respectable indeed. He sat down in a chair, stretched his legs and started laughing warmly.

“Well well!” He said and then laughed even more until he choked and had to lie down to calm himself.

“What?”

“Well, it really is too funny. I bet you can never guess what I did today!”

“I bet I can’t.” I said, very intrigued at this point.

“But I would assume that you have been following Ms. Adler around today, so tell me what was so funny?”

“Yes I have, however, the story of it is a rather unusual. And I will tell you all about it. I left the house at 8 o’clock this morning dressed as a street performer. You see, most street performers are very sympathetic and helpful to other street performers. If you’re one of them, you will get to know just about anything there is to know. I found my way to Briony Lodge fast. It’s a bijou villa, with a little garden at the back. But the first step is almost right atop the road. I could see that there was a large sitting room on the right side, very well furnished, and windows that almost touched the floor. However, the locks on the windows were not very sophisticated even a child could open them easily, which is good to know.”

“I looked around the house and I found there is a little path that goes around the garden, a good hiding spot if I may say so. I walked back to talk to some of the street performers again, and what I found out was very useful.”

“So what about Irene Adler then?”  I asked.

Well, she can turn any man’s head when she walks by. She is apparently the prettiest thing that has ever walked this planet. She is a quiet person and lives alone, sings at concerts, drives out at five p.m. everyday, and returns at seven p.m. sharp for dinner. Very seldom does she go out at any other times, well except for when she has a gig. She only has one male visitor, and he comes by quite a lot apparently. He is and I quote “tall, dark, handsome and dashing”. He comes by at least once a day, and often twice. His name is Godfrey Norton and he lives on Inner Temple Road. Now you see the advantages of street performers and a network like that. They had all seen him driving home dozens of times, and knew quite a lot about him. Once I had listened to all they had to tell me I started walking up and down the street in front of Briony Lodge again, to start my planning for what’s next.”

“Godfrey Norton is obviously a very important part of this case. He is a lawyer, which may in this case seem a bit suspicious. What relation does Mr. Norton and Ms. Adler have to each other, and why does he visit so often? Is she a client, a friend or a lover? If she is a client, he probably knows about the pictures. If he is her lover, he most likely has no idea that the photos exist. I considered going to Mr. Norton’s flat, but of course this is a sensitive matter. It might broaden my knowledge, but it may also give me away. I’m afraid that I am boring you with these details, but I have to let you know about my difficulties in this case. If I don’t you won’t understand the situation I’m about to put you in.”

“Trust me, I’m not bored. I’m following you closely.” I said, and it was the truth.

I was still debating within when black Rolls-Royce pulled up in front of the house, and gentleman sprung out of the car. He was remarkably handsome, just like the ladies had told me before. This was obviously Godfrey Norton, he seemed to be in a great hurry and shouted to the driver to wait right there. I could catch glimpses of him through the windows in the sitting-room, pacing back and forth and waving his arms around in big gestures. I could not see to whom he was talking but I assumed it was to non other than Irene Adler. He came out of the house and seemed even more rushed than before, got in the car, said something to the driver and they were off. Less than five minutes later Irene Adler emerged from her house, called a taxi and got in, and she was off as well. I quickly got into a taxi of my own and told the driver to follow the previous car and to be very quick about it.”

It was 11:35 a.m. and we pulled up in front of the little chapel, at this point I knew exactly what was about to happen. I watched as Miss Adler and Mr. Norton met up at the stairs in front of the chapel with a minister, and all three of them walked into the chapel.  I got out of my car and sat down on the steps to wait for them to come out. It took less than an hour for the two of them to come out and see me sitting on the steps. They took one look at me and then Mr. Norton asked me if I could be so kind to take a few pictures of them on their happy day. Of course I said yes. I spent two hours taking pictures of the couple outside the chapel and in the area. I gave them the camera and congratulated them, I then walked around the corner and decided to stay for a little while to see what they were up to. Strangely enough they got into one car each and drove off in two separate directions. Strange, no?”

“Very strange indeed, not what I expected at all.” I said, stunned at the story I had just been told.

“Alright well, I haven’t eaten all day because of the unusual affairs.” He said and called for the landlady to bring up some food.

“So what now?” I asked, excited to hear what plans he had made for the evening.

“I eat.” He said as he looked at the meal that the landlady had brought up, as if he hadn’t eaten in days. “And tell you what will happen tonight as I do so.”

“Excellent.” I said pleased.

“I will need you to help me tonight.”

“Anything.”

“We will be breaking the law.”

“I expect nothing less.”

“Maybe arrested as well.”

“Sure. But it’s all for a good cause, right?”

“The cause is excellent.”

“Well then I’m here to assist you.”

“I can always count on you Watson.”

“So what is it that you want me to do?”

“In two hours we need to be on the scene of the action. Ms. Adler, or Mrs. Norton now I guess, will be home from her drive then. We have to be at Briony Lodge to meet her.”

“And then what?”

“Leave that to me Watson. I already have a plan for what is to happen. There is only one rule for you. You must not interfere, no matter what happens. Okay?”

“I do nothing?”

“Nothing whatsoever. There will be some unpleasant events, but you must not join in, no matter what. I will end up inside the house. One of the windows in the sitting room will be opened and you need to station yourself outside of it and listen to what happens. When I raise my hand you are to throw in a smoke bomb that I have given you beforehand. Am I being clear?”

“Very clear.”

“Good. It’s not really complicated. You throw in a smoke bomb, the fire alarm goes off. At this point you need to walk down to the end of the street and wait for me there.”

“Ok.”

“So now you know what to do, right?”

“Do nothing, throw smoke bomb in through window, wait for fire alarm and walk down to the end of the street and wait for you. Correct?”

“Precisely.”

“Then it’s all clear.”

“Fantastic!”

He finished his meal, and we left Baker Street at 6:15 p.m. It was starting to get dark and the street lights were turning on as we got to Briony Lodge.

“Now the interesting part of this is that the video becomes a double-edged sword. I would assume that Ms. Adler does not want her new husband to find out about that video either. However, the question is where does she keep it?”

“Yeah that’s the question.” I said, still wondering exactly how he was planning on finding that out, but Sherlock being Sherlock most likely had a bullet-proof plan.

“A man would entrust his banker or lawyer, but a woman would trust no one. You see women are naturally secretive, so why should she hand it over to anyone else? I can only hope that she does not carry it around with her.”

With that said we waited for her car to pull up, and it did at 7 p.m. sharp. She got out, Sherlock walked up to her and fainted, some people that were walking close by looked at him and ran towards them. At first she seemed to stare at him blankly but when she saw all the others running towards them she kneeled down and took his pulse. Someone yelled “Call 999!”, a young woman was panicking, but Irene Adler calmly said:

“Just help me get him into my house so I can give him some water and get some smelling salts from the cabinet.”

I walked around to stand by the window to the sitting-room, it was open and I heard Sherlock moaning. As Ms. Adler walked out of the room Sherlock raised his hand and I threw in the smoke bomb. I heard the fire alarm go off and walked down the street to wait for Sherlock. A little while later he appeared.

“Alright then, I now know where the video is.” He said with a satisfied grin.

“Well great, that was easy.” I said.

“Yes we will come back tomorrow and get it.”

“But how do you know where the video is, did you see it? Why didn’t you just steal it now?” I asked, a bit unsure of what to do.

“Well Watson, she didn’t just have it playing on the TV. However, she did show me where it’s at, unconsciously, but still she showed me.”

“Okay I am now following you, explain how you know.” I said.

I was used to his brilliance and quick thinking, but once again he had to explain how his mind had figured this out. No matter how much I worked with him or how much I tried to understand I still couldn’t figure out how he reached the conclusions he got to so quickly.

“Well you see, Watson, when there’s a fire one acts unconsciously. For example, a mother would look towards her child, but since Ms. Adler has no child, she would look towards what is most valuable to her and that to her is the video.” He said.

“That is brilliant Sherlock!”  I exclaimed.

“Not really, just logical.”

I was fascinated by his brilliance once again, and I’m sure he knew it, for the thing with Sherlock Holmes is, he notices everything, every single tiny little detail.

“Okay tomorrow we have to leave very early to get back here, since Ms. Adler is now married her habits will most likely change. She might move or he might move, so in either case she might hide the video.”

“Yes, well that makes sense.” I answered.

As we started looking for a taxi to drive us home, a woman walked past us.

“Good night, Mr. Sherlock Holmes.” She said.

“Hm, I’ve heard that voice before. Must be one of the street performers that I met earlier today.”  He said.

 

That night I slept at Baker’s Street. When we were having our breakfast that morning Catherine Middleton came barging in.

“Have you got it?” she basically yelled, and grabbed Sherlock by the shoulders. “Do you really have it?”

“Not yet.” Sherlock said calmly.

“Not yet! What do you mean; not yet? What were you doing all day yesterday then? Having lunch?” She said with complete and utter panic in her eyes.

“Well, as long as everything goes to plan, I’ll have it by the end of the day.” Sherlock said, still very calm.

“Oh, okay then good. I’m sorry for my behavior, it was inappropriate.” She said apologetically.

“No worries.”

“Could we please go get it now, if that is a possibility?”

“Yes of course, but we will need to grab a taxi.”

“No worries, I have the car outside.”

“Well, that makes it easier.” I said.

“Oh, by the way, Irene Adler got married yesterday.” Sherlock said as he grabbed his coat.

“Married? To whom?” Ms. Middleton answered and seemed very surprised by the news.

“To a lawyer named Godfrey Norton, I was the wedding photographer.”

“Oh, wait what? Photographer? Why?”

“Well, you see…”

“Oh, it’s a long story. We can tell you after we have the video.” I said interrupting Sherlock midsentence, and frankly he seemed a bit upset that he didn’t get to tell his story.

“Well, it’s just…. there is no way she loves him.”

“I think you’re wrong, and I think it would be in your best interest to hope that she does” Sherlock answered.

“Why?”

“Because if she does love him it would spare you the fear of being exposed in the future. If she does love her husband, she does not want to hurt him. And trust me, it would hurt him to see that video exposed in the press. He is after all a very successful lawyer.” He walked out silently and got into the car that stood waiting outside. We followed him, and we were off to Briony Lodge.

When we got there, the door to the house was open. A woman stood waiting in the door, but it was not Irene Adler. This woman was a lot shorter, rounder and had short red hair. She was also a lot older than Ms. Adler. She looked at the three of us with a crooked smile and stepped out on the stairs.

“Sherlock Holmes?”

“Yes, that’s me.” Sherlock answered with a stunned look on his face.

“Brilliant, Ms. Adler told me that you would show up. She left this morning with Mr. Norton to go to the airport, they decided last minute to travel for their honeymoon and then settle somewhere outside of England.” She said, and she was obviously enjoying the horrified look Sherlock gave her.

“She’s not coming back?” Sherlock said.

“But what about the video?” Ms. Middleton said shocked and seemingly a bit angry.

“Well, we shall see!” Sherlock said and he seemed to have regained his confidence.

He walked into the house, past the old girl and into the sitting room. Ms. Middleton and I followed. Sherlock seemed as determined as ever when he walked up to a painting on the wall and took it down. He turned the painting over and seemed rather amazed to find an envelope plastered to the back of it. The letter was addressed to Sherlock Holmes. He tore it open and we all read it together while the old lady watched us with amusement in her eyes. It was hand written and dated at midnight of the previous night.

MY DEAREST SHERLOCK HOLMES

You really did it very well. You almost had me fooled. Until after the fire alarm went off, I had no suspicion. But, as soon as I caught myself looking towards the painting and the safe behind it, I realized that I had betrayed myself. I was warned about your abilities months ago. I had been told by my husband that if Ms. Middleton were to hire anyone, it would certainly be you. I knew all about you, all I could find, but yet you made me the reveal exactly what you wanted. You’re a great actor, and having been trained as an actress myself I know Hollywood lost a star the day you decided to become an investigator and scientist. Now you should know, dressing up as someone other than myself is nothing new to me so as soon as you left my house I ran upstairs and changed into my costume. I caught up with you at the end of the street, where you were talking to John Watson about your success. I couldn’t help myself so I said ‘Good night Mr. Sherlock Holmes’.

I followed you all the way home to make sure that I was really an object of interest to Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the greatest investigator this world has ever seen. I watched you through your window for a little while and then I went to go see my husband and tell him of the days events. We agreed the flight was the best solution for us at the moment, but I do hope to return one day and talk to you. Because you see, I believe we have so much in common and I also believe that I am the only one to figure out your game plan before it is all over and you have to explain it.

And finally, as for the video you were asked to find and take from me. It is safe where only you can find it and only you will find it. I wish you all the luck I can give you, and I hope you know that you have my word. That video is no longer within my reach.

Very, truly and absolutely all yours,

IRENE NORTON née ADLER

“HA! What a woman! Did I not tell you that she is the cleverest and most quick minded woman you will ever meet?”

“Indeed you did. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get the video.” Said Sherlock and seemed a bit distant.

“Well you did something even better, you managed to get her word and when she gives you her word she will never break that, trust me.”

 


End file.
